The Las Vegas Aces will enter the WNBA playoffs on a 16-game winning streak, the longest to end the regular season in league history.
Las Vegas beat Los Angeles 103-75 on Thursday, finishing 30-14 and securing the No. 2 seed in the postseason. The Aces host Game 1 of their series against No. 7 Seattle on Sunday (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET).
The Aces set a WNBA regular-season record with 22 3-pointers on Thursday, including seven by Jewell Loyd, five by Jackie Young and three each by Chelsea Gray and A'ja Wilson. The Aces also hold the playoff record for 3's with 23, set in 2022.
Wilson made her final case for getting her fourth MVP award, finishing with 23 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks against the Sparks. She averaged a league-best 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds, becoming the first player in league history to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in multiple seasons. She also did it last season, when she won her third MVP.
Wilson has led the league in scoring the past two seasons.
The Aces have not lost since a 53-point defeat at home to Minnesota on Aug. 2. Their streak is tied with the 2014 Phoenix Mercury for the second-longest in WNBA history, below only the 2001 Los Angeles Sparks' 18-game winning streak. The Mercury and Sparks both won the WNBA championship in those respective seasons.
Aces coach Becky Hammon, who played against both of those teams during her WNBA career, put what the Aces have done in historical perspective.
"This is a special group, a group that had to find its way together," said Hammon, whose Aces were 14-14 going into their winning streak. "There have been a lot of really good teams in this league. [The Sparks'] Lisa Leslie has gone down as one of the greatest bigs to ever play the game.
"And now you're seeing A'ja, Chelsea, Jackie ... Jewell has been ridiculous off the bench for us for the past month. Everybody coming in is just doing their job. You just string quarter after quarter. You have to stay present and focused in order to get these streaks, and they're locked in right now."
Hammon said the 3-point barrage was because of the Aces' superior ball movement getting them so many open looks.
The Aces had 35 assists, led by Young's 12 and Gray's 10. It's the third time two WNBA teammates each had at least 10 assists in a game, and Gray has been a part of all three: in 2023 with then-teammate Kelsey Plum for Las Vegas and in 2017 with Odyssey Sims when both were with Los Angeles.
Young, wearing an "M'VP" hat in honor of Wilson after the game, said the winning streak reflects the mentality the Aces have had since their turnaround began.
"Everybody is playing super unselfish," Young said. "Coach talks a lot about 'good to great.' You might have a good shot. You [pass] once more, and your teammate may have a great shot. We're having fun, playing with a lot of energy and at the pace that we want to play."